Once
by WolfRune20855
Summary: Marian Charming was planning on having an easy senior year, but when F. H. Godmother turns the school upside down, Marian and her friends must stop it. And Ever After High first generation fic.
1. One

Marian stared at the rooming assignments posted outside the royal dorms in horror. This could not be happening. Nope. This had to be a nightmare. Any moment now she would wake up and be back in her bed at home. Then she would go to school to find that she was rooming with Red Hood as she requested. Marian pinched her arm, but nothing happened. She was well and truly awake.

And Grace Princess was her assigned roommate for the year.

"It's not that bad," Red said, reading over the rooming assignments, "I mean, it could be Snow White."

Marian looked at her friend. Red was shorter than Marian by a several inches with short brown hair styled in a bob and grey eyes. The red hood that she was named for hung off of her shoulders.

"Grace Princess is practically as bad," the redhead said, "Who are you rooming with?"

"I'm rooming with Jackie Queen."

"The evil queen?" Marian cringed. "Never mind. Grace Princess is fine."

Red laughed. "We're on the same floor. At least we can hang out with each other."

"Yeah," Marian agreed. She hoisted her trunk and began walking up the stairs. "This is all because of the archery team. Headmaster Grimm thinks that me learning how to defend myself will corrupt my destiny."

"You think that he wants Grace Princess to rub off on you?"

"Of course he does," Marian dropped her trunk in front of her door and dug her key out of her pocket. "She's the perfect little princess."

"I'll see you later," Red said, "Good luck with Grace."

"Good luck with Queen. You'll need it." Marian watched Red retreat then stuck her key in the door and turned.

Grace Princess had her back turned to Marian, rummaging through her wardrobe. Her blonde hair hung down her back in lazy ringlets, and Marian felt a little surge of envy. Grace Princess was everything that a princess was supposed to be: smart, soft spoken, and beautiful. With her porcelain skin, rosy cheeks, and sparkling blue eyes she was the most pursued princess at Ever After High. Marian, on the other hand, was the most avoided princess in school. While that had to do less with her looks and more with her personality, she still wished that she looked like Grace. A mass of red hair and a face full of freckles caused most grown ups to frown at her, and most boys to retreat. It didn't matter that she was a Charming, since she was not classically beautiful most people avoided her.

But Marian didn't need them anyways. She had her parents, who had gifted her with a bow and a childhood full of love, and she had Red. She didn't need anyone else. She was better off without them.

Grace turned around, shutting the wardrobe door behind her and leaning against it. "Marian," she said, "I didn't hear you enter."

"I'm here now," Marian said dragging her trunk across the floor and settling it at the end of her bed. "I take it that the green side is mine."

Grace nodded. "It was pink when I got here, but I didn't think that you would like that very much."

So you painted it? "Cool," Marian said. She pulled a few clothing items from her trunk and placed them in her wardrobe.

Grace sat down on her rose covered bed. "I don't think that we've ever really met."

"No," Marian agreed. Despite going to school together since spellementary school they had never really talked. Marian always hung around with Red, and Grace hung around with...who did she hang out with anyways? She had to have friends, but Marian could think of none.

"I'm Grace," Grace said, sticking her hand out. Marian stared at it. "Which you know since we've gone to school together since once upon a time."

"Yeah," Marian said. She shook Grace's hand. "I'm Marian, but you also know that."

Grace let out a relieved sigh. No doubt she thought that Marian would leave her hanging. "Are you going to orientation?"

Marian nodded. "I'm meeting Red in a couple of minutes."

"Do you think that I could join you guys?" Grace asked. "I'm not real big in the friends department."

Marian raised an eyebrow. She had known that Grace didn't really hang out with anyone, but for her to admit it to Marian, who was practically a stranger, was brave. Braver than Marian ever expected from someone whose last name was Princess. "Sure," Marian said.

"Thank you," Grace said.

Marian nodded. "No problem."

* * *

"This is it, man." Robin Hood slung his arm over Dashing Charming's shoulders and grinned. "Senior year. We will reign as kings."

Dashing snorted. "It's good to see that you didn't become any less delusional over the summer."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Robin actually appeared to be confused. Dashing shook his head. His best friend had absolutely no brains whatsoever.

"Only that this year will be the most intense year of our lives," Dashing said, "As soon as we graduate our destinies begin."

"It's not as if we have to study for them," Robin insisted. His face fell as he studied Dashing expression. "Which is what you plan on doing. You plan on spending our senior year studying. Man! You're such a buzzkill."

"I'm not a buzzkill," Dashing said.

"Yes, you are." Robin huffed and jumped onto his bed. "At least tell me that you're still going to play bookball this year."

"Of course," Dashing said, "My parents would kill me if I didn't."

"Do your parents know that you're such a huge nerd?"

"I'm not a nerd," Dashing objected, "I'm just studious."

"That's just another way to say that you're a nerd."

"Shut up." Dashing Charming was not a nerd. It was not his fault that he was a bit smarter than the rest of the Charming clan. He had the brawn, the prowess, and the agility of a Charming, but he also happened to be very, very smart. He was currently valedictorian, and he intended to stay at the top of the class.

"Do you want to go to orientation, or should we skip?" Robin asked.

"So we're rebels now?"

"I have always been a rebel," Robin stated, "I just happen to be best friends with the golden boy of Ever After High."

"And whose fault is that?"

"Yours, obviously."

Dashing shook his head. "Let's just go to orientation."

* * *

"Jack!" Marian groaned as Red launched herself at her boyfriend's tall figure, wrapping Jack Beanstalk in a hug, and planting a kiss on his lips. She had really enjoyed the fact that Jack had gone to Beanstalk City over the summer. It had been a nice, relaxing, drama-free summer.

So much for that.

Grace chuckled from her spot beside Marian. "They sure are into the PDA."

"Tell me about it." Marian left Red to make out with her boyfriend and took a seat. "They've been dating since sophomore year."

"Have they always been…" Gace trailed off.

"Disgusting?" Marian supplied. "No. That development started last year when Red almost died in DID."

"I remember that," Grace said, "Wasn't it your fault that she got trapped?"

Marian winced. "Yeah. This is her way of punishing me." Grace laughed, the sound a musical tinkling of bells. "Oh yeah, laugh it up. It's hilarious."

"You have to admit that it's a little funny."

"Funny?" Marian shook her head. "Maybe ironic, but not funny. Never funny."

"Guess what?" Red interrupted their conversation dragging Jack in tow.

"You guys have finally decided to break up?" Marian muttered.

"No."Red frowned. "And that isn't funny."

"On the contrary," Marian said, "I find it hilarious."

"What did you want to tell us?" Grace asked before Red and Marian started arguing.

"What?"

"You said that you had some news."

"Oh, right," Red said, "Guess who Jack is stuck rooming with this year?"

"Do we have to?" Marian asked.

"Is it...Dashing Charming?" Grace guessed, playing along with Red's game.

"I wish," Jack said, "No. It's worse than that."

"You're rooming with Robin Hood?" Marian gasped.

"Not him either."

"He's rooming with Bad Wolf," Red exclaimed.

"Oh."

"Is that all?" Marian asked. Three heads turned to stare at her. "What? It's not like Bad's actually that bad."

"Did you just say that Bad Wolf isn't bad?" Red asked.

Marian sighed. "What I mean is that I can actually stand to be around him. Unlike other people at this school."

"Robin's nowhere near as bad as Bad," Red argued.

"You're only saying that 'cause he's your cousin."

"Hardly," Red said, "We're barely related. He's my second cousin twice removed. That doesn't exactly make us family."

"Yes, it does," Marian argued.

Grace glanced at Jack as the two girls continued to argue. "Are they always like this?" she asked.

Jack shook his head. "They're arguing a bit more than usual today. It's probably because Red had a pretty hard time moving into her room. She's with Jackie Queen."

"Ouch."

"My thoughts exactly. They do this every so often. I'd just ignore it."

Grace nodded. "But why does Marian hate Robin so much? Didn't they get married in second grade."

"Under the monkey bars." Jack grinned. "Which is exactly why they hate each other. That was just about the messiest divorce in history."

Grace smiled. "I remember that. She broke poor Robin's heart."

"I wouldn't say that around her," Jack said, "Her side of the story is just as bad."

"Oh."

"Yeah. Oh."

* * *

"Hello ladies." Dashing rolled his eyes as Robin smiled flirtatiously at a group of princesses. He couldn't figure out if Robin's horrible smile or the fact that some of the girls actually giggled was worse. Probably Robin. After all, those girls didn't look any older than his sister, Dainty. They probably thought that receiving any sort of attention from an upperclassman was nice, even if it was from Robin.

Dashing grabbed his friend by the elbow and dragged him into a seat. "Hey!" Robin complained. "I was busy."

"Flirting with underclassmen," Dashing said, "I saw."

"Don't say that as if you don't flirt with underclassmen."

"I don't."

"Oh, right," Robin said sarcastically, "I forgot that Dashing Charming is waiting for his destiny princess to come along before doing anything. We wouldn't want to be unfaithful, now would we?"

Dashing frowned. "I'm not like that." He wasn't like that. Not really. There was a girl that he liked, that he wanted to be the damsel in his story, but he wouldn't get his hopes up. He couldn't afford to.

"You kind of are." Robin propped his legs up on the seat in front of them.

"Not everyone knows who their destiny princess is, Robin," Dashing said, "We can't all be as lucky as you are."

"I am not lucky," Robin said, "Besides, me and she-who-must-not-be-named are never actually going to end happily ever after together. The fairy godmother messed up on that one. Big time."

"So you're just going to flirt with every girl that you see?"

"That's the plan."

"You're unbelievable."

"Thanks." Robin grinned. "I try." The last of the students finished fileing in and the lights dimmed. Snow White walked onto the stage, the bright lights making her already pale figure appear ghostly. "Man, that's creepy," Robin muttered. Dashing nodded in agreement.

"Hello students of Ever After High," Snow said, "I am Snow White. As your student body president I would like to welcome you to another year at Ever After High."

"Are you going to the back to school party?" Robin whispered.

"Which one?" Dashing asked.

"The one that Nicolette Dancer is throwing," Robin answered as if it were obvious. "What other party is there?"

"There's the one that the student council throws."

"Oh, you mean the one without any alcohol, or food, or girls, or music. The only party that that is is a tea party."

"You know I heard that tea parties are quite an affair in Wonderland."

"This is why you're a nerd," Robin said, "Now answer the question."

"Yes. I'm going to Nicky's party."

"Good."

"Now," Snow White said as she wrapped up her speech about destinies, and school, and how her dragon games team was going to destroy Jackie Queen's team, "for a word from our Headmaster, Milton Grimm."

Snow stepped to the side and Milton Grimm stepped up to the podium. He was a man of average height with a brown mustache and a belly that hung slightly over his belt. All in all he was rather unimpressive in appearance.

"It is good to see so many familiar faces," Milton Grimm, "as well as some new ones."

Robin leaned over to Dashing. "Is this the same speech as last year?"

"I think that it is."

The boys drifted in and out of listening as Milton Grimm rambled off the exact same speech that he had given the year before. "We have a new addition to our staff this year," he said, "I am personally very glad to have her on our staff. This year Damsel in Distressing and Princessology will be taught by the one and only F. H. Godmother."

A slim woman with gray hair swept up in a neat bun and blue wings. Swept onto the stage. A pair of rather large, round glasses sat on her nose. This was F. H. Godmother. "Who exactly is she?" Robin asked as the auditorium burst into applause.

"She wrote the Princess Primer."

Robin raised an eyebrow. "An you know this because?"

"Dainty read it," Dashing said.

"Are you sure that Dainty's the only one who read it?"

Dashing's face turned crimson. "Shut up."

Sparrow's mouth turned upward into a wicked grin. "Not very likely."

* * *

Nicolette Dancer prefered to throw her parties in ballrooms, but the school wouldn't allow an unsanctified party in one of their extraordinary ballrooms, so Nicky was stuck throwing it a someplace a little more subtle. It moved around from year to year. The year before it had been in a bookshop in Book End. This year it was located in the enchanted forest.

Grace glanced around the clearing in awe. There was a bonfire in the middle of the area, illuminating the surrounding forest. Floating fairy lights illuminated the places that the firelight didn't reach. Buckets were set up at intervals around the forest, some containing soda and pop, others containing more illegal substances. Alto Piper had set up a stand from which he played his music. Several students were dancing, while others stood around conversing.

"So," Marian said beside Grace, "should we dance now, or later?"

"I forgot that Nicolette had that rule," Red said, referring to the dancing princess's rule that everyone who attended her parties must dance at least once, "I think that I'll dance now." Red grabbed Jack by the hand and dragged him to the area where the other students were dancing.

"They'll be out there for a while," Marian said, "Do you wanna grab a drink?"

"I could use a soda."

"Be back in a jiffy." Marian disappeared with a wink.

Grace watched her leave. It was odd that she ended up rooming with Marian Charming of all people. She was not an idiot. She knew that the reason that they had been put together was that so Grace could rub off on the girl. Grace smiled to herself. If Headmaster Grimm only know, then he would do everything in his power to keep the two girls apart.

"Grace Princess. I didn't expect to see you here." The smile faded from her face at the sound of Snow White's voice. Grace turned around to find the princess in question standing only a few feet away from her along with her two best friends, Cindy Ella and Goldie Locks.

Snow was of average height, a good four or so inches shorter than Grace, but that didn't make her any less intimidating. The dark haired girl was ruthless. With her beauty, her charming personality, and her popularity Snow could get anything that she wished. More importantly, she was used to getting what she wanted when she wanted it. Grace had learned early on that life was easier if she stayed under Snow's radar.

Goldie Locks and Cindy Ella were different stories. Goldie was the school gossip. She always knew what was going on, who was seeing whom, that sort of thing. It there was a story to be told, Goldie knew it, and she'd retell with a dramatic flair. Cindy was nice. She had copper hair to Blondie's gold, and always wore her thick rimmed black glasses because of her severe nearsightedness. She wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, but she was really nice to everyone.

"I decided to come," Grace said.

"Of course you did," Snow said. Grace couldn't figure out whether or not her tone qualified as condescending. "It's nice to see you outside of class."

"It's nice to see you too," Grace said.

"I am so excited for DID next week," Snow said, "The Princess Primer is my favorite book."

"Mine too," agreed Goldie.

"It's okay," Grace said.

"Okay?" Snow asked incredulously, "It's much better than okay. It's perfect."

"They were out of orange soda." The group turned as Marian joined the four of them. "So I grabbed you a grapefruit. Oh, hey, Snow. Cindy. Blondie." Snow frowned at Marian's appearance.

"Grapefruit is fine." Grace took the offered soda.

"We have to go," Snow said.

"It was nice seeing you," said Cindy softly.

"Even if it is with unfavorable company."

"Ouch," Marian's voice dripped with sarcasm, "You wound me." Snow rolled her eyes and left with her friends. "So, what was she doing here?"

Grace shrugged. "She just wanted to talk."

"I see." Marian nodded.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"She wanted to make sure that you weren't planning to usurp her."

"Usurp her?" Grace asked, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Snow White is popular, right?"

"Right."

"She's the queen bee. She's got her little posse, and her popularity, and her presidentship. She could have any boy that she wanted, but she doesn't want to date anyone at the moment. Do you know why she has all of this?"

"Because she's a princess?"

"Exactly! She pretty, and royal, and tactical. Then she comes here, and she sees you here, looking all cute in your little pink dress, and she thinks to herself 'Grace is prettier, and she's a royal'. And all of a sudden she realizes what a threat you are, and she want to make sure that you're still one of her subjects, and not planning on taking her place."

Grace laughed. "You're ridiculous, Marian. Do you know that?"

"I've been told so many times," Marian said, "I'm not sure if I believe it. Especially not in this context. I know what I'm talking about."

"When did you become the expert on girl world politics? Was it before or after the archery team?"

"Before," Marian said with a smile, "Definitely before."

* * *

"I bet you that I can hold more beer than you."

"Let's add that to the list of bets that I am never going to make." Dashing grabbed the red cup out of Robin's hand and tossed it into a nearby trashcan.

"You, my friend, are no fun," Robin said as he took a seat on the bench next to Dashing.

"On the contrary, I am all of the fun. I am just making sure that you do not get drunk, because you do stupid things when you're drunk."

"Really?" Robin challenged, "When was the last time that I did something stupid while drunk?"

"Do you remember when you wrote poetry about Marian's hair?"

"I never did that," Robin protested.

"Yes, you did," Dashing said, "I burned it so that she would never find out that you compared her to a fox on fire."

"You can't prove that I ever wrote that."

"Exactly," Dashing said, "but I could always tell her. She is my cousin, after all. She'd have to believe me."

"Alright. I get it. I'm cut off for the rest of the night."

"I'm glad that we see eye to eye."

"It doesn't change the fact that you're a boring nerd."

"I am not a boring nerd," Dashing said, "I have had plenty of fun tonight."

"I'm sure that sitting alone on a bench is fun."

"I haven't been alone," Dashing said, "I've had you to keep me company."

"Exactly." Robin smirked. "You should let loose. Ask someone to dance."

Dashing's eyes roamed over the crowded clearing, coming to a stop on a slim blonde figure holding a soda in her hand. No. Not her. He couldn't dance with Grace, even though she was probably one of the best dancers in the room. He just couldn't.

"Why would I do that when I can hang here with you instead?"

Robin groaned, his lightly freckled face falling into the palms of his hands. He lifted his head from from his hands as a group of giggling girls walked by. "Well, just because you're not going to have any fun doesn't mean that I'm not." He jumped up and followed the girls.

Dashing watched him leave, shaking his head at his friend's antics. Robin was a bit odd, but the two of them had been best friends since they were eight, having gone to spellementary school together. It was to the point where Robin was more of a brother to Dashing than a friend. They had each other's back. They always had and they always would.

"Thank goodness." A small brunette girl took the seat that Robin had vacated. "I thought that he would never leave."

"Dainty?" Dashing stared at his sister in surprise. He hadn't expected to see her here.

"The one and only," Dainty said with a flourish of her hands.

"What are you doing here?"

"Sara dragged me along," Dainty said.

"Sara?"

"Saraphina Dancer," Dainty explained, "Her older sister is throwing this party."

"I know that," Dashing said, "I'm surprised to see you here."

Dainty ignored him, an occurrence that wasn't all that unusual. "So you know that Snow White won't let me join her dragon games team. She laughed at me when I asked."

"I'm sure that she has her reasons."

Dainty crossed her arms. "She's prejudice, that's what it is. She hates Charmings."

"That's not true." Dashing wasn't quite sure why he was standing up for Snow. Yeah, she was his friend, but she was a major bitch at times.

"She hates Marian," Dainty said.

"A lot of people hate Marian."

Dainty harrumphed. "I think that I'll just form my own dragon games team."

Dashing chuckled. "Whatever fits your fancy."

"It's not funny," Dainty pouted.

"I never said that it was."

"But you laughed."

"Dainty-"

"I'm going to leave." Dashing shook his head as his sister dramatically stood up and stomped away. Why was everyone that he knew so dramatic? The sound of Robin's voice wafted from his left where he was no doubt getting in trouble. Dashing sighed and walked off to make sure that his best friend didn't get into anymore trouble than he already had.


	2. Two

Grace was up before the sun. In the dim light of her room she made her bed before getting dressed in a comfortable set of athletic clothes with legwarmers. She rummaged around her wardrobe until she found what she was looking for. With a smile she pulled out an elegant longsword. She drew it from its sheath and studied it.

When she was thirteen her parents castle had been attacked by bandits. It wasn't anything serious, but it had terrified Grace. It had terrified her to the point where she had refused to even step foot outside. It was then that their butler, Andrew, had taken matters into his own hands. The stern old man had promised Grace that he would teach her how to defend herself, and he had.

Training with Andrew was hard work. Grace wasn't exactly sure how the Princess's butler knew so much about swordsmanship, but it was clear that the man could have been quite the knight. They had trained for several hours every day in Grace's last year of middle school, and when the summer came training intensified.

Her parents didn't notice the change in their daughter. They didn't notice how her arms went from being slim and weak to elegant and muscular. They didn't notice how she had a new confidence to her as she walked, or how she disappeared at odd times for hours on end. They didn't notice any of it.

Grace sheathed her sword, pulling herself out of her thoughts. With a glance back at Marian to make sure that she was snoring soundly, she left the room and headed towards the enchanted forest.

* * *

"Robin, wake up." Robin rolled over on his comfortable bed, stuffing his head under his pillow. There was no way that it was morning yet. He had just gone to bed. He had been asleep for barely five minutes.

"Robin," the exasperation in Dashing's voice was obvious, "You told me to wake you up before I left so that you wouldn't be late to archery tryouts."

"Archery tryouts aren't until nine," Robin mumbled, his words nearly incoherent through the pillow.

"It's eight thirty," Dashing said.

Robin yanked the pillow off of his head and sat up. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I did," Dashing said.

Robin frowned as he pulled off his pajama pants to reveal a pair of green plaid boxers. "Why didn't you throw a book at me or something? You know that I have to be there early."

"First of all, I would never throw a book at anyone," Dashing said, "Second, I've been trying to wake you up for the past ten minutes."

"I'm a heavy sleeper." Robin pulled on a pair of athletic shorts and an Ever After High Archery Team shirt.

"That's putting it lightly." Dashing watched his friend hastily tie his shoes together and fly out the door. "You forgot your bow!" he shouted after Robin.

Cursing, Robin ran back into the room, grabbed his bow, and left in a matter of seconds. Several minutes later he found himself on the archery field. He was the second person to arrive.

Standing in the middle of the field looking as if she had actually gotten a good night's sleep was Marian Charming in all of her annoyingness. She smirked when she saw him. "As captain of the archery team, shouldn't you be here early?"

Robin frowned, mostly because she was right but partially because he couldn't stand to be around her for more than a few minutes. "You still haven't made the team, so I'd watch what I say if I were you."

"Then it's a good thing that you aren't me." Robin wanted to strangle her. Instead he elected to ignore her.

His and Marian's story went way back. As Dashing had said, not many people knew who they were destined for from the moment that they were born, but they had. Their families weren't exactly friends, but they knew each other since they both lived in Sherwood. They grew up together. As a child Robin had been infatuated with Marian. He would follow her around everywhere, the squire to her knight. When they were seven, they got married under the monkey bars during recess. Red Hood performed the ceremony.

So, how did they get from there to here? How did they get from puppy love to pure unadulterated hatred? Well, it's a long story, and one for another time.

"Robin Hood!" Robin straightened at the sound of Coach Huntsman's voice.

"Coach," Robin said, forcing a smile onto his face as he turned towards the intimidating man. Coach Huntsman was standing only a few feet away from him, with his arms crossed, wearing an expression that could only be described as terrifying. "What can I do for you?"

"Tryouts," Coach said gruffly, "Run them."

"Run tryouts?" Robin asked, "You want me to run tryouts?"

"No. I want Marian to run tryouts. Yes, I want you to run tryouts," Coach Huntsman said, "Do you have a problem with that?"

Robin shook his head furiously. "No. Not at all, sir. I'm just surprised is all."

"Well, don't be," said the coach, "I just want you to decide who makes the team and who doesn't."

"Really? Sir, it's an honor-"

"Can it, Hood. I've got things to do." The coach started walking away, before pausing, and turning back to Robin. "Also, Marian's now your assistant captain."

"What?"

"Think of her as your lieutenant," Huntsman said, "She's here to help, and she already made the team."

"Coach-"

"I don't want to hear any arguments," Coach Huntsman interrupted, "She's good at what she does. So are you. You'll make a great team."

"Coach," this time it was Marian who spoke up.

"Good. We're all settled." With a nod, Coach Huntsman walked briskly off of the archery field. Robin glanced at Marian to find her frowning.

She noticed him staring at her and huffed. "I'm not any happier about this than you are. So, don't go getting any ideas."

"What ideas would those be exactly?" Robin asked.

"You know." Marian gestured. "Ideas."

"Trust me," Robin said, "the only idea that I have is that you're a pain in the-"

"Hey guys!" Both of the archers turned around as Lance Huntsman, a cheery sophomore with brown eyes and not-quite-brown hair, entered the archery field with a couple of his friends in tow. Marian glared at Robin for a second before stomping off to join the potential team members.

Robin watched her leave, taking a deep breath as he did so. He could do this. He could live through having Marian as his lieutenant. He'd be just fine. After all, it was only for...the entire year. Robin groaned. He was going to die before tryouts ended.

Marian would be so pleased.

* * *

"Tryouts," Red took a deep breath and studied the track in front of her, "You can do this. After all, you're captain. You have to show them what that means." Red glanced at the students who had gathered around the track, mingling, talking, and starting on warm ups. Her eyes roamed over to Jack, who had already separated from the group, taking the rest of the field event kids with him. He offered her a reassuring smile and a thumbs up. Red smiled weakly.

"Okay guys," she said, calling the attention of the rest of the group, "those of you who were here last year know how this works. If you're new, just follow my lead. You'll pick up on how things run around here pretty easily. We're going to start with some warm up laps. Just enough to get the blood moving."

With that said, Red started down the track, the rest of the team falling quickly inline. She could do this. She could be captain. After all, she was the best on the team that was why she had been chosen. Coach Breadman wouldn't have chosen her if he didn't think that she could lead the rest of the pack. Red shook her head at the image that came to her mind. No. Not pack. They were a group, not a pack.

They were never a pack.

* * *

Dashing Charming's favorite place at Ever After High was the library. He was aware that this made him a nerd, but he really couldn't summon the energy to care about it. There was something about the library that made him feel calm. The musty smell of books and the long wooden tables made him want to remain for hours, which today he could.

The library was practically empty. Dashing hadn't expected it to be any other way. He placed his bag down on one of the tables and took in his surroundings. Bookshelves towered over Dashing for what seemed like miles, each of them brimming with books on all manner of subjects, from heroics, to dragon slaying, to evil spells and how to use them. Each of them were just waiting to be opened and have their secrets discovered.

If Robin were here, he'd take the opportunity to call him a nerd.

"Dashing." Dashing turned around to find a tall, skinny girl with her hair tied up in a knot standing in front of him.

"Dru," he said with a smile.

The librarian grinned in return. Drusilla Stepsister was a few years older than Dashing himself was, having already graduated by the time that he arrived. She was the only person that he had met at the school who liked books as much as he did.

"How was your summer?" Drusilla asked, taking a seat at the long wooden table.

"Oh, you know," Dashing said, sitting down next to her, "We went to Fairest for a couple of weeks. How're you? How's Cordelia?"

"Cordy's good," Dru said, "She's taking one last year to explore the world before our destinies start. I think that she spent the summer in Rome."

"That sounds fun."

"She assures me that it is," Dru said, "She tried to convince me to come with her, but you know how it is. I'd rather read about adventure from the comfort of the library."

"I understand that."

Dru snorted. "Sure, you do." Dashing wasn't quite sure what she meant. "That reminds me, we got a new shipment in over the break. I have them in the office if you want to check them out."

"I would love that," Dashing said, and he followed Drusilla into the librarian's office. On a cart in the middle of the office were books, many of them, stacked together neatly in rows. Some of them were old, others were new. All of them were beautiful.

"I think that we got about six copies of _The Princess Primer_ ," Dru said as Dashing leaned down to study the books on the cart. Just as Dru said there were six copies of The Princess Primer on the top row. "They're all personally signed by F. H. Godmother herself."

"She stopped by the library?" Dashing asked, surprised that the princessology teacher would do such a thing. They usually sent fairies about the school to do their business.

"No," Dru said, "but I met her in Grimm's office. She didn't seem to be a big fan of me, since I'm an evil stepsister and all."

"I can't imagine that she would be," Dashing said. His fingers trailing over the spines of the books.

"I'll have you know that I read _The Princess Primer_ , and it's a load of bull."

"I thought that it had a good voice." The words tumbled out of Dashing's mouth before he realized that he had said them. He turned to face Drusilla, his cheeks rapidly turning pink. "It's not...I'm not…"

"You read _The Princess Primer?_ " Drusilla asked.

"I was bored," Dashing offered, "It was the only new reading material in the entire castle."

"Hey," Dru said, "I'm not one to judge."

"Thanks," Dashing said, "Just don't...tell anybody, please?"

"Who would believe me?" Dru laughed.

"Thanks," Dashing repeated, his eyes coming to focus on one small book stuffed in the middle of the cart in between the first volume of _The Complete Adventures of Sir Gawain_ and _Fifty-Five Ways to Renovate Your Castle_. "What's this?" Dashing asked, pulling the book out and examining it.

It had a grey cover that was dusty from years spent unused on the shelf of whatever place that Drusilla had gotten it from. It was light, lighter than most of the books that Dashing read. There was not a word on the cover, not a letter on the spine. He flipped it open, searching for a title page, but found none. All that he found was a dedication that read To Katherine, for helping me make it big.

"I'm not sure," Dru said, "I picked it up at an estate sale over the summer. It belonged to a wizard, so I'm guessing that it's magic of some sort. No title though, so there's no way to determine what exactly it is. It hasn't been used for some time so I don't think that it's deadly. Do you want to check it out?"

Dashing studied the book that was barely bigger than the palm of his hand. "Sure," he said, "I could use a read that's not _The Princess Primer_."

* * *

Thrust. Parry. Block. Thrust. Parry. Block. Grace went through the drills that Andrew had given her for the school year. She had been in the enchanted forest for almost four hours now. She had watched the sun rise as she warmed up her arms and legs, making sure that she kept her circulation flowing. Swordsmanship was an art, Andrew always said, one must have the right tools, ingredients, and mindset in order to do it correctly.

Grace finished her drills and took a seat in the clearing. Her knees were weak, her arms were heavy, but it felt good. It felt exhilarating. It felt-

"Now that's something that I never thought that I'd see." Grace shot to her feet, turning to face the intruder. Standing several feet away from her was a tall guy around her age. He wore a pair of jeans and a plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He had curly dark hair, grey eyes, and a chiseled jawline that was covered in stubble.

Of all of the people to discover her secret, it had to be Bad Wolf.

"Bad," Grace said with a nervous smile, "I didn't see you there."

"Obviously," Bad said, "So, do you come here often?" He took a seat, crossing his legs as if they were two old friends and not strangers.

"Um." Grace fiddled with the hilt of her sword. What was she supposed to tell him? Yes, she came out here every day?

"You seem to know what you're doing," said Bad, "I'm going to assume that you've been doing this for a couple of years."

Grace sighed and sat down. "Yeah," she said, not quite knowing why she did. She just admitted to a villain that she was breaking the rules. Then again, it wasn't as if he could tell anybody. No one would believe him if he ran through the halls telling everyone that Grace Princess had a secret love for the art of swordsmanship. They'd sooner believe that Bad had read _The Princess Primer_.

"So," Bad said, "who taught you?"

"My butler," Grace said.

"You're butler must secretly be a knight, then," Bad said.

Grace laughed. "Yeah, I suppose that he is." She had never even considered that to be a possibility with Andrew. The old man seemed the farthest thing from a knight. "What're you doing out here? Shouldn't you be trying out for the track team, or something?"

"Yeah, no," Bad said, "I'm boycotting the track team this year."

"Why?" Grace asked.

"Do I really have to spell it out for you?' Bad stared at her. Grace returned his stare blankly, unsure why exactly the fastest boy at school was boycotting the track team. "Red Hood is captain this year."

"Oh." Suddenly, Grace felt rather foolish. Hoods and Wolfs couldn't stand each other. Putting Red and Bad on the same team, especially one where Red was in a position of power, would be like locking Marian and Robin in a closet together. The likelihood of both of them emerging alive was very slim.

"Yeah," Bad said, "I decided to go for a walk instead."

"And then you found me," Grace finished his story, "Could you not tell anyone about this?"

"Sure," Bad said.

"Thanks."

"To be honest," Bad said, "it's kind of cool."

"The swordsmanship?" Grace wasn't exactly sure why it would be cool.

"You've been keeping a secret for the better part of four years," Bad said, "I never even guessed."

Grace smiled. "It's actually closer to five."

"I'm impressed."

"Thanks." Grace stood up and walked over to a tall tree right at the edge of the clearing. She leaned against a knot located in the side of the trunk and a secret compartment opened. A long, wooden box slid out with a hiss, and Grace placed her sword in it. She shoved the box back into the tree and turned to face Bad. "Don't tell anyone about that either."

"I won't," Bad said, 'Where're you going now?"

"Back," Grace said, "Marian gets back from tryouts soon, and I've got to sneak into our room so that no one gets suspicious."

"Have you thought of telling Marian?" Bad asked, "She'd probably love what you're doing."

"Maybe," Grace said. With a goodbye to Bad, she left the enchanted forest and headed back towards the royal dorms.

* * *

By the end of tryouts, Marian's heavily freckled face was covered in a fresh sheen of sweat. She wiped her face on the edge of her shirt, wishing that her hair weren't so thick. The curly red locks that she had sloppily pulled back in a ponytail seemed to attract the heat of the sun.

"Marian." Marian stopped walking as Lance Huntsman caught up with her.

"Lance," Marian said in greeting.

"You're a captain now," Lance stated.

"I am."

"How'd you...why'd Coach make you a captain?" Lance asked.

Marian shrugged. "It must be my exemplary leadership skills."

Lance snorted, and Marian glared at him. "Yeah, that's probably it."

"Look, Lance," Marian said, "as much as I've love talking to you, I'm sweating like a pig, and I'd very much like to shower."

"Yeah," Lance said, "No problem."

Marian didn't bother to see where Lance went off to. She made a beeline for her dorm, taking the stairs two at a time. She fished her keys out of her pocket and let herself in. To her surprise, Grace was in the room, wearing a pink robe and going through her wardrobe. Grace had been absent when Marian had left, so she had just assumed that she wouldn't be seeing her for the rest of the day. Obviously, she had been wrong.

"Where were you this morning?" Marian asked, pulling off her shirt on her way to their bathroom.

"I went for a walk," Grace said.

"Cool." Marian shrugged off her pants and disappeared into the bathroom. Fifteen minutes later, she emerged from the restroom with her hair wet wearing a blue bathrobe. Grace had lined up three dresses on the front of her wardrobe and was examining each of them.

She held one of the dresses up to herself. "What do you think?" she asked.

Marian stared at Grace. "You're really asking me for fashion advice?"

Grace sighed. "You're right. You'd probably tell me to wear jeans and a t shirt."

"There's nothing wrong with t shirts," Marian said as she fished a pair of shorts and a tank top from her wardrobe. "It's pretty hot outside though, so whatever you wear it better be cool."

Grace nodded and selected a yellow and blue sundress. "How were tryouts?"

"Great," Marian said sarcastically, "I'm now the assistant captain of the Ever After High archery team."

"That's good news," Grace said.

"It would be if Robin weren't the captain."

"And this is bad because?"

"Robin's my arch nemesis," Marian said.

"Why?" Grace asked.

"It's a long story," Marian said, "and I promised that I'd meet Red for lunch, so I can't tell you it right now. Do you want to come?"

"Sure," Grace said, "Just let me finish do my makeup."

Marian flopped down on her bed, her arms and legs thankful for the break. "Just tell me when you're done. 'Kay?"

* * *

Red Hood glanced around the castleteria, taking in a scene that she hadn't seen over the summer. The castleteria was divided by group. The princesses sat on the right side closest to the outdoor courtyard and garden. The future evils sat under the stairs where they could soak up the darkness. The jocks sat at the very top of the stairs in a nook that had been named the Jockony. The nerds sat in the very middle of the lunchroom closest to the trash cans. Red took a seat close to the windows on the far side of the castleteria and waited for her friends to arrive.

Tryouts had gone well. There were a few stragglers who wouldn't make the team, but most people could keep up. Red had been surprised that Bad Wolf hadn't arrived late to practice. She had spent the entire time expecting him to strut onto the field and demand that he be placed on the team. Red would've argued with him, but he still would have made the team. Bad was good at what he did. Red may not have liked him, but the team would be hurt without him.

Of course she would never tell anyone that.

"Hey there." Red smiled as her boyfriend took a seat across from her.

"Hey," she said, taking Jack's hand in her own, "How'd field go?"

"Great," Jack said, "I think that this might be the best team that we've had yet."

"Really?"

"You should've seen Jack B. Nimble," Jack said, "Candlesticks aren't the only thing that he's good at jumping over. He set a new highest jump record in tryouts. How'd yours go?"

Red shrugged. "Good. I guess."

"You guess?"

"Do you know that your roommate didn't tryout?"

"My roommate?" Jack's eyes widened as he realized what Red was saying. "Bad's not on the track team this year?"

"Nope."

"Why would he do that? He knows that we can't win any male races without him."

"Why don't you ask him," Red suggested even though she already knew why Bad Wolf hadn't tried out.

"Do you think that it's because of you?"

"I know that it's because of me," Red said.

Jack shook his head. "That bastard."

Red wanted to agree with him, but she found that she couldn't. If Bad had been made captain would she have tried out? She didn't know, but she wasn't sure that the answer to that question was yes. Red almost laughed at the thought. Great going, Red. You're sympathizing with the enemy.

"So," Jack said, playing with Red's fingers, "do you have any plans for tonight."

Red grinned. "Not that I can think of."

"That's good."

"Is it really?"

"Yes."

"Are you going to tell me why?"

Jack grinned mischievously. "You'll just have to wait and see."

* * *

 _Recently, I have been considering the way of the world. I have been thinking about how things work, how things are supposed to work. In short, I have been thinking about destinies, more specifically my destiny._

 _The only problem with these thoughts is that it is not clear what exactly my destiny is. When I was a child, it was told that I would be a wizard, but it did not say to whom I would be a wizard, or what kind of wizard I would be. It was all very vague and confusing, and it still is thirty years later._

 _I spent much of my youth wondering when this fated destiny would come to play, but I have yet to see anything resembling a story take place in my life. That is why I have recently reached this conclusion: it is my destiny to be a wizard, but what kind of wizard I am is up to me._

 _That is why I am writing this book, so that people can know what I have discovered. Destinies, cursed princesses, evil fairies, and everything related is a pile of rubbish. Some seem to think that if someone suddenly decided to ignore their destiny, that the world would cease to be, but I believe the opposite to be true. Our realm is made entirely off of stories. It feeds off of stories, off of tales of valor and heroic deeds. It needs stories to sustain itself, but not the same ones over, and over, and over again._

 _It needs stories, and this one is mine. This is the story of one thirty-something wizard, and I am writing it down to test my hypothesis. This story will help the world keep spinning._

 _I am also writing all of this down because Kat told me that if I kept ranting to her that she would kill me in my sleep. I'm not sure if she would do that, but that is one hypothesis that I do not want to test. Besides, I need someplace to write down my spells. An autobiography is as good a book as anything._

 _Which brings me to another point…_

"I hate her! I absolutely hate her with everything in me!" Dashing slammed the book closed as Robin stomped into their room. His roommate tossed his bow on top of his bed and collapsed into his desk chair with a groan.

"Should I even ask?" Dashing asked.

"It's Marian," Robin said, "She had to go and ruin everything."

"Which she did by…"

"By making herself the co-captain of the archery team," Robin said, "I don't know how she did it, but her quest to make my life miserable is coming to a close."

"You're going to quit the archery team?" Dashing was surprised to say the least. Robin was not the kind to give up easily.

"No," Robin said, "I'm declaring war on Marian."

Dashing nodded. "Okay...that's nice."

"Nice?" Robin scoffed. "It's hardly nice. It's-"

"I went to the library today," Dashing cut his roommate off before he could start ranting. "Dru said to say hi."

"Really?" Robin asked.

"She said to say hi to John too," Dashing said.

Robin frowned. "Right. What were you doing in the library?"

Dashing felt the sudden urge to hide the book, as if it were a secret that he needed to keep from his roommate. "What does one usually do in the library?"

"So you were doing nerdy stuff," Robin said, "By the way, I ran into Coach Breadman. He said that bookball practice starts on Monday."

"Fun."

"I don't think that Coach would appreciate the sarcasm in your voice." Dashing rolled his eyes.


	3. Three

"You have got to be kidding me." Robin looked over his schedule again, comparing it to Dashing's. "Do you see this?" he asked, raising the sheet of paper and waving it so that it crinkled slightly.

"Yes," Dashing said, "Despite what you seem to believe I can read."

"How?" Robin asked, "How could they do this to me? To us?"

"It's really not as bad as you're making it seem." Dashing finished organizing his desk and spun around to face his distraught roommate. "We share a room, Robin. It's not as if we will never see each other."

"One class!" Robin exclaimed, "We have one class together and it's Advanced Dragon Slaying. On top of that, they put me in all of these classes that I don't even need. When am I going to use Geografairy, huh? Tell me who needs that class."

"People who don't want to get lost in the woods," Dashing offered.

"And, the only class that we have that is the same is Sorcery and Spells. Who am I supposed to copy my Hexonomics thronework from?"

Dashing picked up a pen and started fiddling with it. "It's nice to know that you only befriended me in order to copy my thronework."

Robin groaned and sat down on his bed. "Why did you have to take all advanced classes?"

"Because I enjoy a challenge," Dashing said with a slightly sarcastic smile.

Robin frowned. "And, just so you know, I'm not only friend with you because of your thronework."

"Thank you."

"I'm also friends with you because it helps me pick up chicks." Dashing tossed the pen that he'd been messing with at Robin, smiling as it hit him on the side of the head.

* * *

Bad Wolf didn't really mind his roommate. Jack Beanstalk wasn't that bad of a roommate. After all, Bad could have been stuck with someone a million times more annoying such as Robin Hood, or he could have been stuck with Alto Piper, in which case there would have been tons of rats in Bad's room. Really, when he thought about it, Jack Beanstalk wasn't that bad of a roommate.

It still didn't mean that Bad liked him, or his taste in women.

The roommate in question was currently sitting on his bed, staring at Bad as if he owed him an explanation, which he didn't. Bad owed no one a explanation, and the only reason that he had told Grace Princess was because she had actually seemed to care. Jack, on the other hand, only cared about his team, or Red's team to be more exact.

"I didn't want to," Bad said. He offered no further explanation, turning his back to his roommate to signal to him that this conversation was done.

Jack didn't get the memo. "Come on, Bad. You're good at track. Are you just going to play bookball this year?"

"Yes."

"What about once the season is over?" Jack asked. "What are you going to do then?"

Bad had been asking himself this question since his decision to leave the track team. What was he going to do once the season was over? He wasn't quite sure, but no Wolf ever let a Hood be in a position of power over them, and Bad wasn't about to be the first. If that meant that he wasn't on the track team then so be it.

Bad was saved from answering Jack's question by the ringing of the phone. The boy lunged on it. Bad shook his head as his roommate began to talk to what appeared to be his parents and left the room to pick up his schedule.

Schedule pickup was located in the library. It was the only time of the year that the library was at full capacity. Signs were posted at intervals for each last name. Bad marched over to the table labeled with a W. Thankfully, there wasn't a line, so Bad didn't have to wait for anyone to finish.

"Wolf," he told the fairy at the table. The fairy made some indiscernible tinkering noise and sorted through the papers. She handed him a schedule with his name on it just as Snow White walked up to the table. She frowned as he shoved past her, studying his schedule.

It was more or less the schedule that he expected. Advanced Villainy. Hexonomics. Science and Spells. Anger Magicment. Beast Training and Care. AP Crownculus.

Fun.

* * *

"High school?" Marian groaned as she looked over her schedule. "More like hell school."

"That's original." Red rolled her eyes at her friend's antics. Grace didn't even bother with a response.

"Who's the idiot that decided to put me in Advanced Princessology?" the redhead ranted, "I'm not even a princess."

"You're not?" Grace asked as this was news to her.

"No," Marian said, "I'm a lady, not a princess. My mother's a princess, but my father's a lord. That makes me a lady. Which is why I don't need to take Princessology, let alone Advanced Princessology."

"It's not that bad," Grace offered, "I'm in the same class."

"I'm not," Red piped up, "I'm not a princess so I don't have to take it. I am in DID with you guys though."

"This is unfair!" Marian exclaimed, "Red doesn't have to take Princessology because she's not a princess but I do? No. I think not."

"Perhaps it's because they're less worried about Red's destiny being completed," Grace offered.

"Why? I signed the book didn't I? It's not as if I can undo that."

Grace wasn't sure how to respond to Marian's outburst. Instead, she focused on straightening her desk.

"This is because of the archery team," Marian said, "Headmaster Grimm in a bigoted, misogynistic asshat who can't tell his right hand from his left."

Grace felt a smile creep onto her face. "I'm sure that he'd love to hear you call him that to his face, Marian."

"I will," Marian said, but she made no move to leave.

* * *

 _My grandmother always said that magic is a lot like cooking. Everyone can cook. After all, cooking is just the act of following a recipe, of combining the right ingredients, letting things stew or simmer for the right amount of time, and making sure that nothing goes wrong. In theory, everyone can cook. In practice, it's a different story. Some people have a natural aptitude for cooking, while others burn everything that they touch._

 _In the same way, some people are just better at magic than others. There's no exact science to it. You can follow the instructions and say the words, but at the end of the say it all comes down to whether or not you have what it takes to be a magician inside of you._

 _And the people with such natural grace and ability towards magic, those are the people that you have to be afraid of. Those are the people who can create spells just by thinking of them. Those are the people who can snap a neck with the flick of a finger. Those are the people who can create love spells that last a lifetime._

 _Those are the people like me._

Dashing rolled over, trying to find a more comfortable reading position and failing. He propped himself up on his elbows, scooting closer to the light of his lamp as he did so. He wasn't exactly sure why, but he had taken to reading the book that Dru had loaned him in secret, in the deep hours of the night when there was no chance of Robin waking up, or when he was alone in his room with no one around to find him.

The book just seemed...different. It wasn't dangerous, per say, but it felt as if it were reaching out to him. It felt as if the words in the book were meant for Dashing's eyes alone. It felt like he needed to keep it a secret. So he did.

Dashing wasn't exactly sure who the author of the book was, but it was clear that whoever he was he knew what he was talking about. His theories about magic and how it worked were interesting. Dashing always assumed that the only people that could perform magic were witches and fairies, but this narrator seemed to believe that anyone could perform magic if they wished to.

That included Dashing.

He almost laughed as the thought crossed his mind. Dashing Charming could not perform magic, even if he wished to. Charmings didn't have a magical bone in their bodies. The only things that they were good for were breaking curses and kissing princesses.

Dashing glanced at his bedside clock, and closed the book. It was already in the early hours of the morning. Dashing set the book down on his nightstand. He needed to get some sleep if he wanted to be ready for the first day of school. He reached over and switched off the lamp.

Lying on his back in the dark, thoughts raced through Dashing's mind. Maybe the book had a point. Maybe if he focused, if he put his mind to it, he could perform magic. Dashing concentrated, gathering his thoughts as the book had said and focusing on one word.

"Lux," Dashing whispered into the night.

Nothing happened. A magelight didn't appear as the book said it would. The lights didn't flicker in his room. The building didn't light up. Nothing happened.

With a huff, Dashing stared at the ceiling. He had been right. Charmings and magic didn't mix. With those thoughts in mind, Dashing drifted off to sleep unaware that a small light flickered to life one floor down in a room belonging to his cousin and his crush.

* * *

Grace woke with a start. Something was in their room. She could hear it. The sound of a tinkling of bells, like what a fairy would, but there was no fairy to be seen. Instead, floating only inches away from her face was a blue light that seemed both dim and bright simultaneously. It lit up the room, illuminating every crack and corner with a gentle blue glow.

The light inched closer to Grace's face, seeming to study her. Hesitantly, Grace reached out and touched the light. It felt soft like...Grace jerked back as something sharp pricked her finger. She looked down at it to find it bleeding. A single red drop fell from her finger.

The light dove after the blood, catching the drop in the air. Seconds later, beams of light erupted in every direction. Then as quickly as it had started, it stopped. The room went dark.

Blinking the spots from her eyes, Grace turned on her bedside lamp as something soft and warm landed on her lap. There, sleeping curled up on her lap, was a small grey kitten. It purred as Grace stroked her hand down its back.

 _What on earth had just happened?_

* * *

The first thing that Marian saw when she awoke earlier than she would have liked to was a kitten. A kitten that was lying on Grace's neatly made bed, seemingly content with its life. A kitten that hadn't been there the night before.

"Grace," Marian said. Her roommate poked her head out of the bathroom. Marian pointed at the kitten. "When did we get a cat?"

"His name's Robert," Grace said, "He kind of just appeared."

"Appeared?" Marian asked, "How does a kitten just appear?"

"I don't know." Grace left the bathroom and walked to her wardrobe where she started sorting through possible outfits for the day. "One minute it was a light that was just floating there, then POOF! it's a kitten."

"So instead of asking questions or trying to reverse the spell you decide to name it Robert?"

Grace shrugged. "Robert is a good name."

Marian walked over to Grace's bed and picked up the small grey kitten. She stared at Robert, her green eyes meeting his purple ones. Purple. Huh. That was weird. Marian had never seen a feline with lavender eyes before.

"You're right," Marian said, "He looks like a Robert."

"That's what I thought," Grace said. She finally decided on a blue dress and pulled it on.

"What are you going to do with him?"

"What can I do?" Grace asked, "I'm going to raise him."

"So, we've got another roommate?" Marian asked with a sly smile.

"Yeah," Grace said, "I guess that we do."

"What are you going to do with him? He's a kitten. You can't just leave him here."

"I guess that I'll have to take him with me," Grace answered, "I'll go out later and get a crate for him."

"You're going to take a kitten to class with you?" Marian asked, "You're more of a rebel than I gave you credit for?"

"I'm not a rebel," Grace said, "Now, get dressed. We need to get breakfast."

Forty five minutes later, after they dressed and scarfed down a quick breakfast, Marian and Grace found themselves in Princessology, staring at the reassembled room in shock. All of the desks in the room had been replaced by luxury lounging chairs. Several princesses were already occupying the chairs.

"What?" Grace asked.

"They're for our posture," Cindy explained from her seat next to Snow White.

"Our posture?" Marian asked.

"A true princess never sits hunched over or uncomfortable," quoted Snow, "Instead they should drape themselves as elegantly as possible. It's from _The Princess Primer_."

"I didn't read it," Marian said. Snow gasped as if this were news to her, which it wasn't. No one was surprised that Marian Charming hadn't read _The Princess Primer_ because nobody expected her to in the first place.

"This is dumb," came a voice from behind Marian and Grace. The two girls turned to find Jackie Queen standing behind her with her arms crossed and a frown on her pale face. "What's wrong with desks?"

"It's all explained perfectly in F. H. Godmother's book-"

"Hex, can you shut up, Snow?" Jackie groaned.

"I think that chairs are a good idea," Snow said.

"You would," Jackie said, taking a seat near the back of the class, "I can't wait to kill you."

"You're not going to kill me," Snow said, "You're just going to poison me."

"Says who?" Jackie grinned wickedly.

"This is going to take a while," Grace said.

"I'd forgotten what it was like to have a class with both of them," Marian said, "Yet another reason that I shouldn't be in Princessology."

"I heard you the first five hundred times." Grace took a seat, posing elegantly on the edge of her chair. Marian took the one next to her, collapsing in a very unladylike manor.

"Your sarcasm is not welcome," Marian said as F. H. Godmother swept into the room with her arms spread wide and the class quieted.

"Ladies," F. H Godmother said, "I would like to welcome you to Advanced Princessology. You are here because you are the best and brightest princesses at Ever After High." Marian's hand shot into the air. "Yes?"

"There's been a mistake," Marian said, "I'm afraid that I'm not supposed to be in this class."

"And why would that be?" F. H. Godmother asked.

"I'm not a princess," Marian said, "I'm a lady. Seeing as this is princessology and not ladyology I fail to see how it pertains to my destiny."

"Ah." F. H. Godmother nodded. "I see. You're Marian Charming."

"Yep."

"There hasn't been a mistake, Marian," F. H. Godmother said, "You're supposed to be in this class."

"Why?" Marian asked.

"Because I requested that you be in this class.," F. H. Godmother smiled. "Now, why don't we go around the room and introduce ourselves. Let's start with you." She gestured to Snow White who practically fell out of her seat in joy.

"I'm Snow White," Snow said, "I'm the future White princess who is going to be cursed by the evil queen."

"Cindy Ella," Cindy said, straightening her glasses, "Future Cinderella."

"Svana Swan," said a dark haired junior, "Future swan princess."

"Nicolette Dancer," said the dark skinned party girl, "I'm a dancing princess."

"Jackdaw Queen," Jackie Queen spoke, "I'm the one that gets to kill Snow."

"Kill?" F. H. Godmother asked.

Jackie shrugged. "Kill. Poison. Same difference."

"I'm Grace Princess," said Grace, "I'm a damsel."

Everyone in the room turned towards Marian expectantly. "I'm Marian," she huffed, "Marian Charming. I'm a damsel in distress."

"Good," F. H. Godmother said with a smile, "Now, let's get started. Can anyone tell me how many fairies you should invite to your child's christening?"

Several hands shot up, and Marian groaned. "This is torture." Grace found herself agreeing with her roommate.

* * *

The problem that Robin had with Advanced Dragon Slaying was that the class was entirely theoretical. There was not any actual dragon slaying in Advanced Dragon Slaying. The entirety of the class consisted of sitting at a desk taking notes as Sir Knight droned on and on about how one went about killing a dragon.

Why was this even a class? Robin couldn't think of a single good reason. Dragon slaying was an outdated practice. Robin couldn't name a single person who had ever come face to face with a dragon that was not perfectly civil. He could only imagine what the dragon community thought of Ever After High for even having a class on how to kill their kind.

Robin's eyes strayed from the board where Sir Knight was labeling the parts of a dragon to the other members of the class. None of them seemed to really be paying any attention to what the teacher was saying. Several students were passing notes. Robin could make out the bookball plays scribbled all over Valiant Charming's notebook.

As captain of the Ever After High bookball team the only thing that Valiant Charming ever had on his mind was how they were going to win the next game. His cousin, on the other hand, was probably the only person listening to what Sir Knight was saying. Robin glanced at Dashing's notebook to find that he had taken extremely detailed notes on the anatomy of a dragon, which was unsurprising to say the least. Dashing had practically slept through bookball practice yet he had the energy to take almost artistic notes. Classic.

Robin was thankful when the bell finally rang, dismissing them from class. "How come you can take notes in Dragon Slaying," Robin asked Dashing as they filed out of class with the rest of the students, "but you fall asleep during bookball practice?"

"I was up late," Dashing said.

"Right." Robin nodded. "Well, have fun in Hexonomics. I've got to get all the way across campus in ten minutes."

"See ya," Dashing said.

"Later." Robin left his friend in the hallway and headed towards Science and Spells. Dashing watched him leave, and headed towards Hexonomics.

Advanced Hexonomics was taught by Professor Gold, who Dashing was pretty sure was half-leprechaun, even though everyone said that leprechauns didn't exist. He could think of no other reason why anyone would be so obsessed with pots of gold and be so short. Then again, he could be a dwarf. They liked gold too.

The class was already half full when Dashing entered, taking a seat in the middle row. He pulled out a spiral, and labeled it 'Hexonomics' in cursive.

"So you mind if I sit here?" Dashing glanced up at the sound of a soft, feminine voice, and his brain ceased to function. Standing in front of him was Grace Princess, the girl that Dashing had had a crush on since sixth grade. "Yes." He swallowed. "Yes. You can sit here."

Grace smiled, showing a row of perfectly straight teeth, and sat down. "How's your day been so far?"

"This is only my second class," Dashing said, "but Advanced Dragon Slaying was fine. How's your day going?"

"I think that Marian hates F. H. Godmother," Grace said.

"Marian?" Dashing asked, "As in my cousin on my mother's side?"

"The one and only," Grace said, "She's my roommate, and she was put in Advanced Princessology with me. She's adversely against it."

"I imagine that she would be," Dashing said.

Grace tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "And, I got a kitten."

"You got a kitten?" Dashing asked, "How?"

"That's a strange story," Grace said, "He more or less appeared. Do you want to see him?"

"Sure," Dashing said. He watched as Grace carefully opened the top of her purse to reveal a small grey kitten. Dashing smiled as he ran a hand down the kitten's back and he purred.

"I think that he likes you," Grace said.

"What's his name?" Dashing asked.

"Robert." Dashing smiled. "What? It's a great name for him?"

"I never said that it wasn't," Dashing said, "How'd you get him?"

"Magic," Grace said, "He's a magical little light kitten."

* * *

Beasts Training and Care was one of those classes that Red would rather not take. Having grown up in a small village on the edge of the enchanted forest, Red knew everything that there was to know about the animals native to the area. Those that weren't magical that is. The magical ones-the centaurs, dragons, fauns, and werewolves-Red didn't care to learn about. She didn't want to learn about them. But apparently it was tradition for the future Little Red Riding Hood to learn about the enemies that she would be facing, so Red didn't really have much of a choice in the matter.

The Beast Training and Care classroom was located next to the dragon stables. Red wasn't exactly sure what genius decided to place the classroom there because everyone knew that the dragon stables could be smelled for miles. The smell hit Red long before entering the classroom, attacking her senses from every side. Red gagged, pulling the edge of her cloak up and breathing through it. Moments later, she entered the classroom.

It was a small area, with only a few desks since Beast Training and Care was not a mandatory class for most students. Red took one of the unoccupied desks. Moments later, she was joined by Goldie Locks, who had tied a square of cloth over the bottom half of her face, covering her nose and mouth.

"At least you're in this class, too," Goldie said.

"Sure," Red said. She wasn't a huge fan of Goldie, seeing as the girl survived off of learning others' secrets. Red would rather be left alone. Of course, she didn't say that. She hadn't been raised in a barn.

"The teacher needs to invest in some air freshener," Goldie said.

"I don't think that the teacher minds," Red pointed out, "Seeing as he's a bear and all."

"Dammit," Goldie swore, "I forgot that he taught this class. Hey, at least we're both in classes with our villians."

Red was about to point out to Goldie that technically she was the villain of her story-after all, she was the one who broke into the Bears' house only to steal their food and destroy their possessions-when she realized what Goldie had exactly said. "What do you mean by both of us?"

"Bad Wolf is in this class, silly," Goldie said, "What did you think that I meant?"

Red frowned, and didn't answer Goldie's question. Of course Bad Wolf was in this class. Thinking about it, it made complete and total sense that a werewolf would be in a class called Beast Training and Care. Red didn't know why she hadn't seen it sooner.

The issue that Red had with Bad Wolf was that she didn't really have an issue with him at all. He wasn't the nicest guy on earth, but he was pretty funny. The jokes that he made in class were some of the best. Red couldn't stop herself from laughing along with everyone else. The thing was that she wasn't supposed to laugh along with everyone else. Little Red Riding Hood was supposed to fear and despise the Big Bad Wolf. Red Hood, on the other hand, wasn't scared of Bad Wolf, and she most definitely didn't fear him.

That could prove to be a problem.

* * *

"You've got to be kidding me," Marian groaned as she entered Geografairy to see Robin already sitting at a table, "We _cannot_ have every class together." She glanced towards the board where Captain Blackbeard had posted a seating chart to find that she had indeed been placed next to Robin. Just like in the last class. And the class before that. And the class before that.

Marian dropped her bag on the desk and sank into her seat. "Why'd you have to take this class?" she asked Robin, "Are you trying to ruin my life?"

"As appealing as that sounds," Robin said, "I was supposed to have a free period this class. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that I had been placed in Geografairy of all things. Though, now I know why."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Marian crossed her arms.

"I didn't expect you to see it," Robin said, "but it is obvious that someone placed us in all of the same classes on purpose."

Marian considered what Robin had said. It wasn't a ridiculous thought. Headmaster Grimm had placed her in the same room as Grace Princess because he wanted the other girl to rub off on her. She had been placed in Princessology because they believed that it would help keep her on the track towards her destiny. Placing her in the same classes as Robin probably made sense to the headmaster.

"I'm not going out with you," Marian said.

"Did I ask you?" Robin asked incredulously.

"No," Marian said, "but it's obvious that they did this for the whole destiny thing, and that includes-"

"Not happening," Robin cut her off, "That is never happening."

"Good."

"Good."

"Fine."

"Fi-"

"'ello, mateys," Captain Blackbeard bellowed, "I'm Captain Blackbeard, an' I'm here ta make sure tha' you never ge' lost on the 'igh seas."

Robin and Marian groaned in unison.


End file.
